No One Is Not Worth Killing

Gu Shao'an's Qinggong propelled him forward at incredible speed, covering twenty feet in just a few blinks of an eye.

In contrast, the two guards at the mountain stronghold entrance only saw a blur of afterimages before a gust of wind hit them!

The bandit on the left, utterly terrified, instinctively swung his saber down with all his might! The blade flashed menacingly through the whistling air.

Gu Shao'an pressed his charge, and facing the deadly blade, he twisted his wrist!

His long sword, like a tender willow in spring, nimbly "stuck" to the side of the saber.

The moment they touched, a flexible, clinging force erupted from the sword.

As the power surged, the burly bandit felt his saber instantly become incredibly heavy, as if stuck in thick mud.

This was the second move of the Willow Leaf Swordplay.

"Willow Silk Flutter."

His powerful downward slash was suddenly "pulled" by this strange, yielding force, its trajectory instantly skewed.

With a "clang," the saber slammed hard into the wooden pillar to his right.

Gu Shao'an used the momentum to spin, drawing power from his Dantian, channeling it into his left palm. His palm pushed forward like waves, striking the burly bandit directly in the waist.

The bandit, still exerting his chopping force, was hit squarely in the waist by Gu Shao'an's palm. In pain, his balance completely collapsed.

With a dull "thump," the bandit tumbled down the stone steps like a rolling gourd, his head hitting the ground, knocking him unconscious instantly.

The entire process was so fast, it took no more than a few blinks of an eye for Gu Shao'an to deal with the first bandit.

Just then, the other bandit, tall and thin, finally reacted, roaring and raising his saber to slash at Gu Shao'an.

With his next move already planned, Gu Shao'an slipped forward like a phantom, his sword turning with him. He unleashed "Willow Silk Flutter" again, the sword's spine like a viper's tongue flicking out, "swish," it precisely struck the incoming saber again.

The soft force struck repeatedly, his wrist flicking rapidly like a nimble snake three times, creating several afterimages. Gu Shao'an's sword tip then trembled and slid down like a venomous snake.

Swish! Swish!

Two barely audible tearing sounds suddenly rang out.

The cold sword edge had flashed lightning-fast across the inner side of the tall bandit's right wrist twice, and blood instantly sprayed out!

"Aaaargh~"

The tall bandit's heart-wrenching scream was cut short halfway!

Gu Shao'an's Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon footwork followed, like a shadow, his sword light pointing, a cold star shooting towards the opponent's supporting ankle! Precise! Sharp!

Swish!

The sword tip pierced through the tendons of the right ankle without resistance.

The scream escalated to a piercing crescendo.

The tall bandit immediately rolled to the ground, blood gushing from his wrists and ankles, completely incapacitated.

In an instant, before the mountain stronghold's gate, only the two unconscious and screaming bandits remained, along with Gu Shao'an, sword in hand, his appearance youthful and his build small.

However, if one looked closely, they would notice Gu Shao'an's chest heaving unevenly.

After all, this was his first time fighting alone, and his opponents were notorious mountain bandits.

Gu Shao'an's heart pounded "thump-thump-thump," a surge of hot blood coursed through him, making him feel inexplicably exhilarated.

From the moment Gu Shao'an made his move until the fight concluded, the entire process took no more than ten breaths.

Watching Gu Shao'an stand with his sword, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes sparkled.

"Little Junior Brother is so amazing!"

In Miejue's eyes, although Gu Shao'an had used his sword in the fight, he hadn't confined himself to it. During combat, he had also used the Golden Summit Cotton Palm when appropriate.

The combination of these three martial arts was quite commendable.

Only Ding Minjun stood beside Miejue, silent, her gaze lowered.

"Hoo!"

Before the mountain stronghold gate, Gu Shao'an took several deep breaths, and the exhilarating feeling within him gradually subsided.

He lowered his head, looking at the bandit before him whose limbs he had severed, now writhing and screaming. Gu Shao'an's gaze sharpened.

The next second, Gu Shao'an gripped his sword hilt tightly. A cold glint flashed as a light breeze cut across the bandit's throat.

The blade sliced through flesh, and a trickle of blood emerged from the bandit's throat, silencing his cries on the ground.

Miejue, who was about to step forward, saw this and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

Then, as if thinking of something, Miejue retracted her raised foot and quietly watched Gu Shao'an's next actions.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhiruo, witnessing Gu Shao'an's actions, couldn't help but tremble, her small face turning pale.

When she looked at Gu Shao'an, her small face was filled with surprise and confusion.

After successfully killing the first bandit, a prompt message suddenly popped up before Gu Shao'an.

[Congratulations to the player for killing a mountain bandit, Achievement Points +10.]

Glancing at the prompt message, Gu Shao'an remained silent, holding his breath. He quickly strode to the unconscious, burly bandit at the foot of the steps. With a flick of his wrist, he also slit the bandit's throat.

After the last mountain bandit drew their final breath, Gu Shao'an let out a long sigh of relief and turned back to Miejue.

"Shifu."

Miejue, seeing Gu Shao'an standing before her with his right hand still tightly gripping the sword hilt, his face now etched with a touch more solemnity, paused before speaking slowly.

"Why did you kill them?"

Gu Shao'an replied without hesitation, "Because they deserved to die."

Miejue seemed to become interested and asked, "These two were merely guards at the entrance of the stronghold. Perhaps they weren't inherently evil. You killed them without investigating their crimes first. Aren't you worried about your conscience?"

Gu Shao'an said in a deep voice, "According to the investigation by Shishu Juechen yesterday, the mountain bandits on Blackwood Mountain are wicked in every way. While some in the stronghold might not have personally participated in every raid on merchant caravans and travelers, these people live within the stronghold, and all their food, clothing, and expenses are derived from robbery and murder."

"The people within the stronghold enjoy these benefits and conveniences. The grudges of those who were killed and harmed naturally fall upon these individuals as well."

"Therefore, everyone in this stronghold deserves to die."

Listening to Gu Shao'an's answer, Zhou Zhiruo, who was standing nearby, seemed lost in thought.

Miejue, however, burst into laughter. "Good! I never expected that Shao'an, despite your young age, could view matters with such insight."

"Indeed! All the mountain bandits on Blackwood Mountain enjoy their daily pleasures through ill-gotten gains from robbery and murder. Their wealth is stained with blood; it is sin."

"There is truly no innocent person among the bandits in this stronghold. They deserve to die. Shao'an, you have done well, very well."

Miejue did not hide her praise for Gu Shao'an at all.

The martial world saw bloodshed every day, people killed every day, and people were killed every day.

However, Emei, as a righteous sect, and its disciples, could not kill for the sake of killing. They needed to understand why they were killing.

Otherwise, what difference would there be between them and the wicked followers of the Demonic Cult?

A few breaths later, Miejue, along with Zhou Zhiruo and Ding Minjun, walked up to Gu Shao'an.

Miejue, being a person with meticulous attention to detail, noticed as she approached that Gu Shao'an's right hand was still tightly gripping the Chengxin Sword. She knew then that Gu Shao'an's emotions were not as simple as they appeared.

With that, Miejue raised her hand and gently stroked Gu Shao'an's head.

Her voice, softer than ever, said, "Killing is not a good thing. But as you said to Zhiruo earlier, killing those who deserve to be killed is righteous, and letting those who deserve to be killed live is wicked."

"Since you have done a righteous deed, be at peace with yourself. What you have done today is meritorious, not a fault."

Gu Shao'an, on the other hand, couldn't help but stare at Miejue in astonishment as he listened to her words.

"Shifu, you were eavesdropping on me?"

Miejue: "..."